IAHC: Qualification up for grabs as neighbours Bandon and Kilbrittain meet for first time in 18 years

Sunday in Ballinspittle will see the bridging of a near-two-decade gap as the first teams of Bandon and Kilbrittain clash in hurling championship action.

The West Cork neighbours do battle in Group 1 of the Co-op SuperStores IAHC (3.30pm), each having won their opening matches against Imokilly opposition, Kilbrittain beating Russell Rovers while Bandon saw off Aghada.

It is their first time to share a pitch at county championship level since a 2008 IHC third-round game, with Darren and Ronan Crowley combining for 15 points for Bandon while Donnacha Burke got a goal in a 1-18 to 0-15 win.

In turn, that clash was the first time the clubs’ flagship sides had met since a Carbery 1982 Carbery JAHC semi-final clash. Three years after that, Kilbrittain had won the County Junior, then the Intermediate in 1995, while Bandon would remain Junior until the 1999 victory.

In the group-stage era, two clubs sharing a grade would not manage to avoid each other for so long but such were the vagaries of the knockout system.

After the 2008 win, Bandon made it to a second successful final, losing to Carrigaline – it would take until 2011 for them to finally push up to Premier Intermediate.

That was a year after Kilbrittain had done so but Bandon would have more staying power. The Lilywhites almost moved directly through what was then the second tier, losing to Ballinhassig in the final, and while Kilbrittain had made the semi-finals at the first attempt in 2011, it was the high point of their stay and they were relegated back to the IHC at the end of 2014.

By contrast, Bandon’s graph was pointing upwards – they made it back to the senior ranks with their 2016 Premier IHC victory and were unlucky not to make the 12-team Premier Senior cut for 2020.

Even so, two full grades separated them and Kilbrittain in Lower Intermediate back then – and the Ambers could even have ended up in Junior A but they prevailed in a 2019 relegation play-off.

A couple of relegations for Bandon and victory in what is now called the Premier Junior Championship for Kilbrittain, followed by provincial and national honors, has brought them together again and the first-round results meant that at least nobody will be leaving on the verge of elimination.

Philip Wall, the first man to lift a trophy in Croke Park in 2026, hit the ground running on his return from travelling as he scored 2-3 against Russell Rovers, Conor Hogan and Aaron Holland also impressive. Bandon’s goals against Aghada came from Jack Cullinane and Denis O’Mahony while Mike Cahalane brought his influence to bear.

The East Cork derby between Aghada and Russell Rovers takes place in Aghavine at 4pm on Saturday. In Group 2, Friday sees Blackrock face Midleton in Riverstown at 7.30pm – the Rockies beat Kildorrery while the Magpies fell to Mallow and that pair do battle in Glanworth at 3.30pm on Sunday.

First time out, Group 3 featured Sarsfieilds and Youghal achieving narrow wins over Erin’s Own and Ballygiblin respectively.